by Nalini Singh
The wedding march began to play, picked out on the piano by David's youngest brother.
Molly turned to glance back at Charlotte and the bridal party, Vicente a solid presence by her side. No words needed to be spoken, her joy written in her smile. Charlotte came forward, touched her hand to Molly's, then walked out the sliding doors on the lower floor of the house. Thea followed, then Kit and Sarah, all of them preceding the bride down the rose-petal-strewn pathway bordered by potted plants bursting with blooms.
They all got smiles, but an audible "oooh" filled the air at the guests' first sight of Molly. Heart thumping for her friend, Sarah, too, was focused only on Molly as she, Charlotte, Thea, and Kit stepped aside to wait for her at the altar. Vicente walked with open pride by Molly's side, the bride glowing with so much happiness that she was radiant.
Sighing a little at the beauty of the occasion, Sarah watched misty-eyed as Vicente and Molly reached the top of the aisle. David's father left Molly with a kiss on the temple and a quiet word to Fox that had the lead singer giving a firm nod. Then the older man took a seat beside his wife--who was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. Sarah's own steadfastly--foolishly--romantic heart was making her eyes burn. She'd just swallowed back the tears that wanted to escape when she really looked at the groomsmen.
All four were dressed in classic charcoal-gray.
Sarah knew she should be looking only at the bride and groom, but she couldn't keep her eyes off Abe. The last time she'd seen her ex-husband this dressed up had been on their wedding day. He looked even better now, the bluntly handsome lines of his face holding a new purpose and strength, and his body...
A heat wave crawled over her own flesh as, all gorgeous strength and intense eyes, Abe caught her gaze, held it. It was the wedding officiant's voice that snapped Sarah into the moment. And though her heart skittered inside her chest, she turned her attention firmly back to the two people whose love they were here to celebrate.
It was a beautiful, sunlit wedding.
The vows the couple spoke to each other made a lump form in Sarah's throat; they were so honest and passionate and loving. Molly smiled with her whole body throughout. And Fox's eyes saw only Molly as she stood in front of him with her gown whispering lightly in the breeze. The lead singer looked astonished, awed, delighted--as if he couldn't believe Molly was his.
But when he kissed her after the white-haired officiant pronounced them man and wife, there was no tentativeness. He claimed Molly's mouth with such heat and possessiveness that people whooped and Noah put two fingers into his mouth and let out a wolf whistle.
Ending the kiss with a grin on his face, a blushing Molly laughing beside him, Fox lifted their linked hands into the air. "We are fucking married, people!"
A cheer reverberated through the crowd.
Color and scent filled the air as Molly and Fox walked back down the aisle, the guests showering them in the flower petals that had been left in small baskets placed below each seat.
Then it was time for Sarah to step up and walk out behind Kit and Noah.
The guests would wait for the wedding party to leave, then head to the big pavilion that had been set up at the last minute to ensure it attracted no unwanted attention. Up ahead, Charlotte had been joined by a gray-eyed man who was as big and as muscled as Abe. Gabriel. He was glancing down at Charlotte with a possessive smile; the other woman looked tiny next to his linebacker physique--and yet somehow they fit. There was simply a resonance there, a deep vein of trust.
As there was between Molly and Fox, Thea and David, Kit and Noah.
Abe offered her his arm.
Pulse beating like a rabbit's, Sarah slid her arm through his and they walked behind the other couples. She tried not to inhale his scent, tried not to feel his muscles flexing under her touch, but it was impossible. The fresh, warm, and deeply masculine scent that was Abe's seeped into her every cell, his body brushing hers with every step they took.
It would've been logical for her mind to fill with images of their own wedding day, but her brain was more interested in replaying their far more recent encounter.
The kitchen counter under her.
Abe pushing apart her thighs.
Hot, tangled breaths, his body driving into hers, his fingers digging into the soft curves of her ass. Her scream as she came. His cock pulsing inside her.
Oh, thank God.
They were inside the house. Her knees quivered as she broke contact with Abe. The rest of the wedding party was already heading upstairs.
The whole time she was climbing up, she could feel Abe's eyes on her ass.
She told herself it was her imagination, but her tingling skin and flushed face didn't think so; then she reached the top of the stairs and turned... and caught him in the act. "Stop it," she hissed under her breath.
His response was a grin, his eyes traveling slowly up her body--and lingering on every curve along the way. Her thighs clenched, her body damp in that dark, secret place only Abe knew exactly how to touch.
"I'm a red-blooded man, Sarah," he said when he finally reached her eyes, "and, sweetheart, you have one hell of an ass."
She was both flattered and aggravated by him. Especially when he looked so damn good grinning up at her. And damn it, yes, it felt good to be told she had "one hell of an ass" by this man who had always pushed her buttons.
Glaring at him when his grin deepened--as if he could read her thoughts--Sarah stalked off to join the others.
Charlotte was laughingly picking flower petals out of Molly's hair. As Sarah watched, Fox shook his head, showering the floor with splashes of silky pink, cream, and deep yellow. Regardless of his action, his arm remained around Molly. The lead singer's smile was huge, the kisses Molly kept dropping on his cheek adorable; it was clear she was aiming for the lean dimple in his left cheek.
"Congratulations, man," Abe said, walking over to haul the lead singer into a hug that lifted him off his feet.
Grinning, Fox slapped Abe on the back before they broke apart to do that complicated handshake thing Sarah had never been able to master even after Abe tried to teach her one lazy Saturday morning, both of them laughing when she gave up and made up a random handshake of her own.
Pushing aside the melancholy that threatened to envelop her at the reminder of how young she'd been, how hopeful, Sarah bent to kiss Molly on the cheek, then gave her a heartfelt hug. "Congratulations. I am so happy for you."
"Thank you!" Molly's dark eyes were full of light.
Delighted for her, Sarah stepped back so Kit, too, could hug the bride. She ended up bumping straight into the hard wall of muscle that was her ex-husband. Who hooked an arm around her waist before she could move away. "You look edible," he murmured, his breath brushing her sensitive earlobe.
Which Abe knew all about.
Sarah's heart rate had never quite slowed down. Now it kicked again, the heat of his touch sinking through the fabric of her dress to soak into her skin. Turning on a wave of need, she said, "I like you in formal wear." She couldn't help herself; she reached over to fix his tie. It hadn't been out of place--she just wanted an excuse to touch him even knowing it was a bad, bad idea.
Allowing her hand to lie on his chest for a second, she drew in a breath... and glimpsed Noah watching them, interest alive in the gray of the guitarist's eyes. She flushed, dropped her hand, and turned to face the bride and groom once more.
"Let go of my waist," she muttered to Abe at the same time.
"Make me," said the man holding her prisoner.
Sarah knew she could move away, but she didn't want to draw attention to the two of them. And her traitorous body didn't want to break contact--having Abe messing with her was more fun than it should be.
Deciding to fight fire with fire, she shifted slightly, just enough to angle a look at him from under her lashes. It was a very specific look, one that had never failed to have a certain effect on Abe.
"Fuck." It was a hard, barely audible sound.
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Despite that staccato word, he didn't release her. Instead, he stroked his hand down to her hip and began to move his thumb back and forth, back and forth over a particular spot. Their position at the end of the semicircle of friends meant no one could see what he was doing.
"Abe." Her voice came out strangled.
Leaning close as if to ensure he heard what she was saying, Abe said, "You started it." His breath was hot, his chest hard where it touched her shoulder.
He moved his thumb again. "And it is a wedding," he murmured. "Aren't bridesmaids supposed to hook up with the groomsmen?"
"I'm not a bridesmaid," Sarah managed to get out, her self-control not totally in tatters.
"Close enough."
"A toast to Foxy!" Noah held up a glass of champagne.
Threatening to punch the guitarist, Fox grinned nonetheless and dipped his head to kiss Molly, soft and sweet and with so much love that Sarah's vision blurred.
"Hey." Abe's stroking turned into a comforting rub. "No crying."
"It's a wedding," she sniffed, using a finger to wipe away the tears that had escaped. The other women were doing the same.
Feeling a deluge coming, she was about to dig in her clutch for a tissue when Abe handed her a pristine white handkerchief. "It was part of the getup," he said, pointing at the pocket of his suit.
"Thanks." Sarah dabbed at her eyes.
The Riveras arrived then, David's two brothers included; more hugs and kisses were exchanged. Alicia and Vicente beamed as proudly as if it was their own child's wedding.
Vicente's hug of Fox was powerful, paternal. His words, however, were a growl. "You take care of my girl, Fox, or like a son or not, I'll be over here with a baseball bat."
"You'll never need to do that, sir," Fox promised.
The naked emotion in the lead singer's eyes when he looked at his bride had Sarah's eyes filling with tears once again.
"You always did cry at all the romantic parts in those movies you used to make me watch." Abe's rumbling voice against her ear, his body warm and supportive behind her... and the memories making her ache.
She loved romantic dramas and at the start of their marriage, Abe had watched with her, Sarah's body curled into his on the couch. She'd stopped asking him around the time she'd realized he was never going to take her on tour with him. Instead, she'd watched those movies alone in the big house in which she felt like a left-behind toy. And the tears she'd shed hadn't been because of the movies.
But back at the start, when she'd still been hopeful of winning a small piece of his heart... Abe had held her, teased her, made her believe she, too, could have her own happy ending. That such endings weren't just for beautiful people with perfect lives, but for the broken and scarred too.
Today, as she leaned against Abe's strength, Sarah allowed herself to give in to the fantasy that they'd made it, that it hadn't all gone so awfully wrong. What harm could it do? The instant the reception was over, they'd head their separate ways.
CHAPTER 13
ABE'S HAND WAS WARM and possessive on her lower back when they followed the rest of the wedding party back downstairs and to the pavilion. Molly and Fox would enter last; the rest of them all wanted to be there to cheer on the newlyweds--and Sarah was dead certain Fox wanted Molly to himself for a couple of minutes so he could kiss her boneless.
She gasped at her first glimpse inside the pavilion: waterfalls of fine white fabric pinned to the walls like curtains in a luxurious outdoor tent, the floor lined with a luscious carpet of silver and cherry red, flowers everywhere. Meanwhile, the tables were set with white tablecloths, the centerpieces little tea candles floating in glass bowls surrounded by bunches of white flowers.
It was pretty and fresh and romantic, and Sarah adored it. "I can see Molly in all the tiny touches," she said to Abe as she took her seat at the head table, Abe holding out her chair. "No hard edges, just joy."
Abe undid the button on his suit jacket before sitting down beside her. "Like you," he said, his expression unexpectedly tender. "You've never had any hard edges."
Flustered, the fantasy suddenly too much, she glanced away and to her left.
David was just taking his seat beside her, Thea on his other side, his mother beside Thea. Then came the two empty seats for Molly and Fox, with Vicente, Kit and Noah, Charlotte and Gabriel on the other side.
"Hey. Stop ignoring your official wedding escort." Abe put his hand on her knee.
Sarah couldn't take his teasing anymore; she kicked him under the table.
He nudged his hand an inch higher in punishment. And Sarah saw red. Hoping nothing showed on her face, she used the fact that David was distracted by something Thea was saying to reach across and run her hand over Abe's cock.
Once, just once.
It was enough.
"Fuck." He ducked his head to hide the curse word... then finally removed his hand from her knee.
And she missed the warmth, the contact. Him.
"That was mean." He spoke against her ear. To anyone watching, it would appear as if he was just leaning in so they could speak without disturbing their neighbors.
"You started it," she said, turning his earlier words back on him while trying to convince herself she'd made the right call.
He stretched one arm out along the back of her seat. "You're having fun, admit it."
"No."
He tickled the back of her neck, well aware it was--weirdly--the most ticklish spot on her body.
"Abe." Her voice came out strangled, and then she was laughing as she tried to tug away his hand without making a big deal of it.
Abe grinned, so gorgeous and sexy that she just wanted to kiss him.
"What's so funny?" David's question came right as Abe stopped teasing her in favor of simply bracing his arm on the back of her seat, his muscled strength brushing her back.
"Just checking if Sarah's still ticklish."
Sarah kicked him again as David's lips curved into a deep smile. "I'm going to kill you," she muttered to Abe.
His eyes glinted wicked promises at her.
Her breath caught, her face flushed. It was just as well that Charlotte said, "Time," from the other side of the table right then.
The wedding party stood as one. There was no need to make an announcement. The guests followed their lead, all eyes going to the entrance of the pavilion... just as the air filled with the gritty sound of the hard rock love song Fox had written for Molly. The lead singer and his bride didn't walk in. They danced in, Molly in Fox's arms as he spun her around, then caught her back against his chest before they laughingly danced the rest of the way in with their hands linked.
"Rock it!" Abe pumped his fist in the air as the other band members and guests hollered and clapped.
Sarah's palms stung, she was clapping so hard; her smile threatened to crack her face. This wedding was unlike any other she'd ever attended, and she loved it. When Fox's love song ended to be immediately followed by a classic rock song by a husky-voiced female singer, the couple waved the wedding party over.
Sarah wasn't usually comfortable under any kind of spotlight, but today she didn't hesitate; she went with Abe and they danced. She didn't even try to fight the sheer joy she got being in Abe's arms, his body moving against hers.
There'd be plenty of time for that later.
The speeches that followed the first round of dancing were short and funny and wicked.
Noah told a story about finding the newlyweds lip-locked in Fox's Lamborghini that had everyone laughing as Molly blushed and Fox kissed her cheek, his arm hooked around her neck. Then it was Charlotte's turn: the petite blonde's words were sweet and so emotional that they had everyone blinking back tears. Molly rose to hug her best friend, the love that existed between these two sisters of the heart out there for the world to see.
Vicente was the last to speak, his speech that of a proud father on his daughter's wedding day and his hand resting on Molly's shoulder. He also made it a point to
say how proud he was of Fox too, how much it meant to him to be at the wedding of the "honorable, strong, and talented" man he'd watched grow to adulthood beside his own son.
Fox exchanged a powerful hug with the older man afterward, his eyes raw.
Then the music started up again and everyone was invited to party.
It was the least elegant and most fun wedding reception Sarah had ever attended, and that included her own. She ended up kicking off her heels partway through, dancing until her breath was ragged and her blood pumping. Those dances were almost always with Abe. The only other men to whom he'd relinquish her were Noah, David, Fox, or Vicente, and David's younger brothers.
It was scary how much she didn't mind his possessiveness. Fantasy, she reminded herself. It's just a few hours of fantasy.
When she ended up with Noah just as the pulsing beat segued into a slower song, she didn't know quite what to say or where to look, but the blond guitarist didn't push her on the topic of her and Abe.
He just said, "It's good to see you again, Sarah. Give Abe hell, eh?"
The comment startled her into a smile. "Will do," she said, and it wasn't until thirty seconds later that she realized the import of Noah's words and her response: he'd assumed she and Abe had a thing going, and caught in the fantasy, she hadn't exactly denied it.
Careful, Sarah, she warned herself, but when Abe came to reclaim her, she didn't resist. Nothing could happen here with so many people around them. His heart beat steady and deep beneath her ear, his body so warm and strong.
Always, she'd felt safe in Abe's arms.
She'd never slept well when he was on tour, had counted off the days and hours until he'd be home again... until he'd hold her again as he was doing tonight.
The party went from afternoon to night, as befit a hard rock wedding. Sometime after true dark, Abe bent his head to her ear and whispered, "Put your shoes back on," in a tone that made her skin go hot, her breasts seeming to swell beneath her dress. She knew she should end this here and now, but oh, how she'd missed him.
Just one night.
She found her shoes, slipped her feet into them, and didn't resist when Abe took her hand and led her out of the pavilion, his goal the black SUV parked a short distance away. "My car." She tugged at his hand to pull him back. "I don't want to leave it here." Where it'd be discovered the next morning, this fantasy night laid bare to the world.